6. Mária Bakti: Speech disfluencies – what do they reveal about attention and cognitive load?

Scientific Concepts and Discoveries

• Interpreting: Defined as the process of conveying a message from a source language to a target language in real-time, without the opportunity for revision or editing.
• Attention and Cognitive Load: The presentation discusses how interpreting, especially simultaneous interpreting, requires significant attention sharing and cognitive resources.
• Working Memory: Emphasizes the role of Working Memory in interpreting, particularly the central executive component responsible for managing attention.
• Models of Interpreting:
  • Effort Model: Suggests that interpreting demands mental energy and attention resources that can lead to cognitive saturation.
  • Cognitive Load Model: Focuses on the portion of cognitive capacity dedicated to interpreting tasks in different environments.
• Disfluencies in Speech: Analyzed to measure cognitive load and attention during different interpreting tasks, revealing that more complex tasks result in more disruptions in speech.

Methodology

• Types of Interpreting: Based on various criteria including:
  • Language modality (spoken vs. signed)
  • Working mode (consecutive vs. simultaneous)
  • Directionality (interpreting from a native language to a foreign language and vice versa)
  • Use of technology
  • Setting (international vs. social)
  • Discourse type
  • Participants involved
• Empirical Study: Participants performed four speech tasks to measure disfluencies:
  • Spontaneous speech
  • Extemporaneous speech
  • Consecutive interpreting
  • Site translation
• Analysis of Disfluencies: Evaluated the frequency and duration of pauses, hesitations, and other disruptions to assess the cognitive demands of each task.

Researchers and Sources Featured

• Mária Bakti (Presenter)
• Daniel G. (Referenced for the Effort Model)
• Udit Bona (Co-researcher on speech production study)
• Cognitive Load Theory (Referenced concept)